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Topic Review (Newest First)

05-23-2014 05:07 PM

BowWowMeow

There are a number of threads on this board from people whose dogs have been bitten by brown recluse spiders. I know that the toxin usually causes a fever and swelling and also usually causes tissue necrosis. The complications can be deadly.

I am not trying to scare you but just encouraging you to further question your vet.

Hopefully it is another kind of bite that is not so serious.

05-23-2014 04:42 PM

farnln

The vet stated that the lab report said that it was an arachnid bite. He suspects that it was a brown recluse.

I don't know, may there is some toxin or something that they can tell if it's a spider bite? I'll have to ask him next time we are in, he gave me the report over the phone. I will ask for a written copy too.

The vet removed both of the masses w/good margins and she was put on antibiotics almost immediately. (Only the large one was tested.) The 2 areas seem to gradually be itching her less and less and they both look like they are healing well.

05-23-2014 03:38 PM

Anubis_Star

Interesting. ... how exactly did the biopsy show it was a spider bite?

Brown recluse bites cause severe tissue necrosis, how is the area looking

Vet called this AM with the biopsy results. He really thought that it was either a histiocytoma or mast cell tumor, BUT it turned out to be a spider bite!

He thinks it is probably from a brown recluse.

I am so grateful that I went to the emergency vet and didn't wait until the next day. I am generally a 'wait and see' type and although this didn't appear to be 'life threatening' it looked odd and came on so quickly that I didn't wait.
I have never seen anything quite like it.

This weekend we are going to get everyone out of here, including the dogs, and spray everywhere there could be spiders hiding.

I talked to my supervisor and he said there are pesticides that kill spiders but the problem with those are they are "kill on contact" sprays. He suggested glue traps and also Boric Acid. The boric acid can be bought at the drug store and is harmless to everything but bugs. It comes in powder form and he said to just take a teaspoon and put a small amount in it and blow it into corners, behind head boards, into existing spider webs etc. he said to not put it down too thick, light applications because they will go around it if it's to thick. He said it will cause the spider to dehydrate because the acid will eat the wax like coating off the underbody and they won't be able to contain water or fluid. He said you can also is a puffer like thing to blow it but he just uses a teaspoon to do it. He said boric acid will work for just about and insect.

So you have some options. I might try the boric acid myself as there are some spiders I need to get rid of.

05-22-2014 04:49 PM

ApselBear

I'm pretty sure there are sprays you can use to kill them. My dad does that, but he usually mixes a few things to create a concoction which kills every bug under the sun I think. Speaking of which, I should probably get that recipe... I hate spiders x.x

05-22-2014 04:39 PM

jafo220

Quote:

Originally Posted by farnln

Vet called this AM with the biopsy results. He really thought that it was either a histiocytoma or mast cell tumor, BUT it turned out to be a spider bite!

He thinks it is probably from a brown recluse.

I am so grateful that I went to the emergency vet and didn't wait until the next day. I am generally a 'wait and see' type and although this didn't appear to be 'life threatening' it looked odd and came on so quickly that I didn't wait.
I have never seen anything quite like it.

This weekend we are going to get everyone out of here, including the dogs, and spray everywhere there could be spiders hiding.

If it is what he said it was, spraying only kills the spiders food source and not the spider itself. If you think you have an infestation of Brown Recluses, my advice would either be get an exterminator involved or do a to of research on them so you understand how to control the situation. Glue traps are used a lot for this but you have to know where to deploy them for effectiveness. At least this is my understanding when dealing with these spiders. Be careful with fogging and spraying indoors. My supervisor was an exterminator previously. I can get some pointers from him if your interested.

Vet called this AM with the biopsy results. He really thought that it was either a histiocytoma or mast cell tumor, BUT it turned out to be a spider bite!

He thinks it is probably from a brown recluse.

I am so grateful that I went to the emergency vet and didn't wait until the next day. I am generally a 'wait and see' type and although this didn't appear to be 'life threatening' it looked odd and came on so quickly that I didn't wait.
I have never seen anything quite like it.

This weekend we are going to get everyone out of here, including the dogs, and spray everywhere there could be spiders hiding.